The 1st Popular Brics Summit kicked off on Monday at the Armazém da Utopia in downtown Rio de Janeiro to integrate social movements into the emerging market bloc, composed of 11 countries. The aim is to articulate the participation of civil society in shaping proposals for cooperation within the Global South. Discussions at the summit will cover topics such as economic cooperation, multilateralism, the construction of multipolarity, global geopolitics reconfiguration, global governance challenges, the BRICS role, reducing dependence on the US dollar in international transactions, and forming financial reserves.
The Popular Civil Council of BRICS was established in 2024 at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, to facilitate dialogue between civil society actors and governments of the group’s countries. ‘The council marks the consolidation of organized civil society’s participation in the bloc’s discussions and aims to give voice to popular movements, students, teachers, and NGOs in the grouping’s strategic agendas,’ the organization stated.
This marks the final major event held by BRICS with Brazil presiding over the bloc before India assumes the position next year. In a video message for the summit’s opening, Dilma Rousseff, former President of Brazil and President of the New Development Bank of BRICS, mentioned that the first summit solidifies organized civil society’s participation in constructing Global South cooperation. ‘For the first time, the people of BRICS countries have a permanent channel for dialogue with governments and decision-making bodies of the grouping,’ Dilma affirmed.
João Pedro Stedile from the leadership of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) and the Civil Council of BRICS in Brazil stated that the summit will formalize the civil council on how it should operate permanently to provide a modus operandi for the new mandate in India next year. ‘Governments know that, without civil society mobilization, some issues cannot be resolved, such as nature conservation, affordable housing. We will analyze topics on global geopolitics, but we will also focus on issues that civil society can help solve,’ Stedile noted.
The bloc’s member countries are key players in grain, meat, fertilizer, and fiber production, accounting for about 70% of global agricultural output. ‘Moreover, they account for over half of the world’s family farming, generating around 80% of global food production value. This strategic position places a greater responsibility on the bloc in building sustainable and equitable food systems, agendas that the Popular Brics Council seeks to incorporate into discussions,’ according to the organizers.
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